


Coming Home

by ThatComicGirl52



Series: Monthly Oneshots [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: M/M, Monthly oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 03:22:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13227060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatComicGirl52/pseuds/ThatComicGirl52
Summary: Dick Grayson left Wayne Manor the night Bruce broke his heart.  Now he's back. Monthly oneshot.





	Coming Home

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my monthly oneshot, chosen by the lovely Do_The_Cool_Whip. Thank you so much for supporting me! It means so much to me! If anyone else is interested in voting for next month's oneshot, please check out my tumblr, thatcomicgirl52.tumblr.com. You can find all my information there. Also, this story takes place in a different universe than my Million Reasons To Leave story. Enjoy! I hope you all had a happy new year.

“Sooner or later, you're going to have to talk to him. He's going to notice you're here at some point,” Alfred says with a pointed look.

  
He stands on the opposite side of the kitchen island, arms crossed over his chest, his gaze disapproving. It's the same look Alfred used to give me when I was a kid and did something wrong. It makes me feel twelve again, not twenty three.

  
“He would need to leave the cave for that to happen,” I mumble, before taking a monstrous bite out of my sandwich. It gives me an excuse not to talk. I don't need anymore lectures from Alfred. That's all he's been doing all night since I got home.

  
Home. It feels weird to call Wayne Manor my home again. Ever since I graduated high school, I've tried so hard to distance myself from this place. I've spent countless nights trying to step out of Batman’s shadows, and for what? What was the point of all of it?

  
I was my own person in Bludhaven. I was my own superhero. I was Nightwing, Dick Grayson. Bludhaven cop by day, crime fighting vigilante by night. I was better at being Nightwing than Bruce is at being Batman. I know I was. For the first time in my entire life, I was my own person.

  
I'm not though. At least, I'm not anymore.

  
I lost my job as a cop. Which sucks, but I can't say it came as a surprise. I half expected something like this to happen. It's the risk I decided to take when I started turning over all of the corrupted cops in Bludhaven. I mean, I always knew the Bludhaven Police Department was full of dirty police officers, but I never expected the Commissioner herself to be one of them. I never expected that the Commissioner would actually pay people not to hire me. She wanted to drive me out of Bludhaven and she did. It's that simple.

  
"Or you can go down there yourself," Alfred suggests. I take another bite, flashing Alfred an annoyed look. He's right, of course. Alfred always is, but that doesn't mean I have to tell him that.

  
"He's missed you," He nearly whispers. I sigh loudly, dropping my half eaten sandwich onto my plate.

  
"Well if he missed me so much, how come he never called?" I ask, exasperated. Alfred turns away from me, wiping the counter down with a washcloth.

  
"Because that's not what he does. You know Master Bruce has trouble expressing his feelings. You know that's not his way," Alfred defends, turning back to face me. "You never tried to call him either."

  
I look down at my sandwich, ashamed. I know I should have called. There were so many times that I wanted to, felt the need to. But then I would think about the last night I saw Bruce, and I'd feel too humiliated to call him.

  
I mean, can anyone really blame me for not calling? I told Bruce how I felt, I risked everything by telling him how I truly felt about him, and he just rejected me. It was so easy for him too. I was so nervous that night, I couldn't stop shaking. I was so afraid to tell him how in love with him I was, but I did, and he didn't even care.

  
It's kind of funny, when you think about it. I've faced crazy, psychopathic murderers, and not been scared. I've fought monsters twice my size, and didn't even flinch. I've seen some real horrors in my life, and while they sometimes did really scare me, nothing scared me more than what I did that night. Nothing has ever scared me more than telling Bruce how I feel.

  
So how can I face Bruce again after what happened that night five years ago? How can I look him in the eye, and say, "Hey, sorry I left and never called. I guess I'm just too in love with you to face you after what happened. Do you mind if I move back in though, because I'm kind of broke?"

  
Yeah, because that would go over so well. Because Bruce wouldn't think I'm a pathetic idiot if I did that. I'm not pathetic though, I'm not. I'm not an idiot either. I was just trying to do the right thing. I was trying to make a dangerous city safe, and for the most part, I think I did.

  
"It's...complicated, Alfred," I mumble, picking at my food. Alfred raises an eyebrow at me, seemingly unimpressed.

  
"Master Dick, you're making this harder then it needs to be. Just talk to him. Tell him how you feel," he says, his voice soft with understanding.

  
And that's when it becomes clear to me that Alfred knows. Maybe he always has. He knows about my feelings for Bruce, so he knows how hard it is for me to talk to him, and he still thinks I should.

  
I stand up and push my dinner away, "I'll be back."

 

 

********************

 

  
He's sitting at the Batcomputer when I enter the cave, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. There are dark bags under his eyes from a lack of sleep. He rubs at his five o'clock shadow, growling with frustration. Alfred did say he was running himself ragged with this Riddler case, staying up far later into the night then usual trying to solve his riddles. Once again, Bruce has let his work get the better of him. He has overworked and exhausted himself, to the point where he's just underperforming now.

  
"Hi," I say, my voice as clear as a bell in the vast cave. Bruce shows no sign that he even heard me. His eyes stay glued to the bright computer screens, his mouth pressed into a deep frown. I wait for him to say something, anything, but he doesn't.   
He hasn't changed at all.

  
"What are you working on?" I ask, coming closer to read the screens. Maybe if I show some interest in his current case, try to help him even, Bruce will actually acknowledge me.

  
He leans back into his chair, as I take a moment to study some photos of a bank robbery that occurred two days ago. A messily painted green question mark stares back at me.

  
"Three bank robberies, three CEOs gone missing," Bruce says under his breath, still refusing to look at me. At least he's talking to me though, or maybe he's just talking to himself. Either way, I'll take it.

  
I rest my hands on the keyboard, my mouth pressed into a tight line. I study the stats of the bank robberies that occured over the last three weeks. Each robbery happened on a Wednesday, at 3 PM.

  
Bruce says it before I have the chance to.

  
"They're happening periodically."

  
I stand up straighter, a smile growing on my face.

  
"The initials of the missing CEOs. They match up with the noble gasses of the periodic table," I say. Bruce nods approvingly, and for the first time in years, he looks straight at me. He looks almost pleased. Proud, even.

  
I can't help how I swell in pride at his approval. After all this time, Bruce's approval still makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It makes me feel like I deserve to be his partner, to work along side him.

  
Do I want that again? Do I want to be Bruce's partner? Do I want us to be Batman and Robin again?

  
No. I don't want to go back to being Batman's sidekick. I want to continue being my own hero, as Nightwing. I do think I would like to work with Batman again though. This time around, as an equal, not as his subordinate.

  
"Howard Edwards for Helium, Ned Elmers for Neon, and Alexander Rogers for Argon," Bruce says, turning his attention back to the computer screen, "He's going in order."

  
"Which means that Krypton is next. Which bank in Gotham has a CEO with the initials KR?"

  
"Karen Richards," Bruce whispers, running a hand through his hair. He stands up suddenly, turning away from me, "I have to warn Commissioner Gordon."

  
"Bruce, wait!" I practically shout, and to my surprise, Bruce actually does. He doesn't turn to face me, but he does stop. "We have to talk. It's important."

  
"Warning the Commissioner is the most important thing right now. This could wait," Bruce says, before walking away again.   
I sigh in frustration, rubbing my face. Today's a Friday, and Riddler doesn't plan on robbing the bank and kidnapping the CEO until Wednesday. Bruce doesn't need to talk to Commissioner Gordon this very moment. He's just avoiding me.

  
I follow him through the cave, over to where we keep the uniforms. He already has half the suit on when I get there.  
"Aren't you at least going to ask me why I'm back? Why I've decided to come back?" I ask, trying not to get angry. I don't want us to argue. I just wanted the two of us to have a civilized, honest conversation.

  
"I know why you're back. You lost your job, now you're broke, and you have no place else to go," Bruce states plainly, his harsh tone making me flinch.

  
Well, when he puts it that way, I sound like an awful person. I sound like a spoiled rich kid who only came home to ask for more money. That's not what I'm doing though. I didn't come back to ask Bruce for money. I would never do that.

  
"And now you want more money," he says, as if reading my mind.

  
"No!" I shout, my voice echoing throughout the cave. I take a deep breathe in an effort to calm down, Bruce watching me with a raised brow, "I mean, yes, you're right. I did lose my job and I am broke, but I didn't come home to ask you for more money. I came home because, well, because I thought it was time I did."

  
I can't look at him. I feel too embarrassed, too nervous. I want to tell Bruce that I'm still in love with him, but I don't know if I can. I don't even know if it's worth it. What if he just hurts me again? What if he rejects me like he did before?

  
The first time he did that, I couldn't eat anything for weeks. I couldn't focus on anything for months afterwards. My heart hurt all the time. I honestly thought it had shattered into a billion pieces. Ever since that night, I've been trying to get over Bruce, mend my broken heart, but I can't. I can't tear Bruce out of my heart. I can't stop loving him, no matter how much I want to.

  
Bruce is aggravating to no end. He closes himself off to everyone, he's terrible at expressing his feelings, and he's controlling. Bruce Wayne is the most flawed man I have ever met. He's a foolish, little boy who will always put "the mission" over his relationships. And yet, despite all of that, I love him. I love him more than anyone else in the whole world, and that's not going to change.

  
"I missed you, Bruce," I say, my voice breaking. I wait for him to say something, but he doesn't, instead pulling the cowl over his face. I don't want to talk to Batman though, I want to talk to Bruce. "Did you miss me?"

  
He's silent, half turned away from me. All I can see is his profile; the bat ears, the mean frown on his stoic face, his white glowing eyes. He's not Bruce at all right now. He's one hundred percent Batman.

  
"What do you want from me, Dick?" He growls.

  
"I want you to talk to me!" I say, not even bothering to control my temper now. I march right up to him, so he has no choice but to look me in the eye, "I want you to stop avoiding me, and be honest with me for once."

  
He can't keep ignoring me whenever I try to talk to him. Bruce can't keep running away whenever he's afraid. Because that's what he is. Afraid. He's afraid to confront emotions. Bruce is afraid to even admit he has emotions, because by doing so, he's admitting that he's human. He's not a god like a lot of people think he is. He's just a man. A man who is vulnerable, and has feelings, and can easily get hurt.

  
Bruce's face twists into an ugly scowl, "You left me, remember? You were avoiding me, not the other way around!"

  
I take a step back in surprise. I didn't think my leaving had upset him so much. I didn't even think he cared. He didn't seem to care that night.

  
"I know what I did was wrong. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left. I should have at least called," I say with a sigh. "But I'm here now. I want to make things better. I want to be...partners, again. If you'll have me, that is."

  
Bruce stands as still as a statue, silent. His expression is like stone, giving nothing away. I can't tell what he's thinking or how he feels. I want to work with him again. I've missed Bruce, more than I could possibly explain. Even when I was leading the Titans and dating Kory, I still thought about Bruce all the time. I couldn't stop loving him. Not even for a moment.

  
I'm relieved when he finally takes the cowl off, his eyebrows pulled together in deep thought.

  
"I suppose," he pauses, as if searching for the right words, "I could use another partner. It'll probably be good for Jason, to have you there. It will give him a proper role model."

  
Jason. I'm ashamed to admit that I temporarily forgot that Bruce even has a new Robin. Jason. I've seen him in pictures, but I've never actually met the boy. I would have had to have been talking to Bruce for that to happen.

  
I feel awful that I haven't been in Jason's life. He must think I'm a terrible person, to leave and never come back. Whenever my name comes up, he probably thinks about how much he hates me for abandoning Bruce and Alfred.

  
"He probably doesn't even want to know me," I murmur, gazing down at the floor.

  
"He'll adjust," is all Bruce says, but his words don't bring me any comfort. Based on his answer, I can tell I was right. Jason doesn't like me, but maybe I can change that. Maybe if I just stick around long enough, he'll realize I'm not that bad of a guy. Maybe I can be a friend to him, a brother even.

  
I nod, thinking it over. Bruce and I will be partners, and all that other stuff can wait. My feelings for him, everything that's occurred between the two of us, can wait. It can wait until after tonight, until after we meet with the Commissioner. We'll take this one step at a time, Bruce and I. Together.

  
"Are you coming or what?" Bruce asks. I look up at him, and he already has his cowl back on. "Did you bring your uniform?"  
"Uh, yeah, yeah. I did. Let me just go and get it," I say. I'm surprised that Bruce took me back as quickly as he did. Maybe he has missed me as much as I missed him.

  
"Well then hurry up, partner," he says, and then the strangest thing happens. The corners of Batman's lips turn up, almost like he's smiling. It's unnatural to see Batman smile, but he does, and it's all for me.

  
And I can't help but grin, because I've finally come home.


End file.
